Three workers fall to their death

The horrific death of three construction workers in Siddheswari area on Tuesday when they fell from an under-construction building is a glaring example of the utter negligence with which workers are treated. In this incident, these three young men were working on a bamboo scaffolding to set up a lift. They were on the tenth floor and did not have any kind of safety gear on and no supervisor from the construction company to oversee their work.

Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies states that 1,196 construction workers have been killed between 2005 and 2016. The 2014 National Building Code stipulates that everyone working with concrete must wear helmets and gloves. In addition, construction companies are supposed to make sure that any open space that may pose any danger or risk of fall has to be covered or cordoned off.

But all this seems to be on paper only with little effort from the authorities to enforce these basic safety rules. Construction companies meanwhile, couldn't care less what risks the workers they hire, take, as long as the job gets done.

This abhorrent callousness towards human life is unacceptable and must be dealt with very stringently. Building companies cannot treat workers who literally make their buildings, as expendable units of production. They have to be made liable for any death or injury to a worker during work on a site. This includes workers hired for maintenance purposes in high rise buildings.

According to a report in this paper, the police have said a case for 'negligence of supervision' would be filed regarding the Siddheswari incident. We expect that the authorities will properly investigate this case and mete out exemplary punishment to those who are responsible for such negligence and utter disregard for basic safety for workers. The families of the dead workers must also be adequately compensated.